Le Volet
by Escritor
Summary: Her job seemed easy...But before Ginny knows it, she's drowning in possible Death Eater relations that may just cause more destruction than the war did... GWxDM, full summary inside
1. CHAPITRE UN

Le Volet

My only love spun from my only hate... GWxDM, Details and Summary inside. Post-Hogwarts.

TITLE: LE VOLET

RATING: T

GENRE: ROMANCE/DRAMA

SUMMARY: AFTER THE WAR, A DEPRESSION HITS THE WIZARDING WORLD. HER FATHER LOSES HER JOB AND MONEY'S RUNNING THIN, AND GINNY'S ONLY CHOICE IS TO GET A JOB WORKING FOR THE ONE MAN WHO TORMENTED HER AT HOGWARTS. BUT BEFORE GINNY KNOWS IT, SHE'S DROWNING IN POSSIBLE DEATH EATER RELATIONS THAT MAY JUST CAUSE MORE DESTRUCTION THAN THE WAR DID...

COUPLES: HPxGW, GWxDM, HGxRW, DGxZS, HAxBZ _(You may not know a bunch of those initials, but don't worry, they're ALL canon.)_

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SOME CHARACTERS.

CHAPITRE UN

_Remember when you scratched our names into the sand and told me you loved me? And now that I find that you changed your mind, I'm lost for words. And everything I feel for you I wrote down on one piece of paper... The one in your hand, you won't understand how much it hurts to let you go. ... Was I too close for comfort? Guess I'll never know. _MCFLY (Too Close for Comfort.)

Daphne Greengrass turned her face left and right in the mirror, lifting her head at different angles to see which was her best side. Hannah Abbot, who was eating cereal in she and Ginny's shared room, tilted her head curiously at her friend's odd position. Daphne was about to apply her final coat of mascara when Hermione Granger, one of Daphne's three roommates, bustled in the bedroom, muttering and holding a white, torn envelope in her hand. Usually, Daphne would have ignored her, but this time she couldn't help but be curious.

"What's that, Granger?" Daphne asked, turning around quickly.

Hermione bit her lower lip and cautiously held the envelope behind her back. "None of your business, Greengrass."

Daphne rose an eyebrow. "Alright then, don't tell me. I'll figure it out myself." She stared at Hermione for a very long time, noting attire, facial expression, and overall attitude. Hermione was wearing a long purple sweater with a black belt and long black skirt paired with black heels. Her usually ridiculously bushy brunette hair was now curled politely and delicately.

"Let me guess," Daphne said after a while, "you were at your little boyfriend's house."

Hermione blushed. "Yes, but -"

"So if it has something to do with your boyfriend, it either involves you or Ginny. But if it was about you, I doubt you'd be in here, so it clearly must be Ginny," she continued, smirking. "See? Told you I could figure it out. So why don't you just tell us before she gets here?"

Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but Ginny entered the room from her shower in a robe and smiled at everyone, then walked to her dresser drawers and began looking for clothes. Everyone was staring at her, silently wondering what was in Hermione's letter that affected Ginny. Noticing the silence, Ginny slowly turned around and looked at the girls.

"Uh... yes?"

Hermione looked down at the letter in her hands and gave it to Ginny wordlessly. Ginny took it, staring at it curiously. She looked back up at the girls, but everyone but Daphne had left the room, giving Ginny her privacy. Ginny looked pointedly at Daphne, who smirked.

"If you think I'm moving, you're funny."

Ginny took a sigh, realizing that waiting for her roommate to be done with her makeup would take far too long, and her curiosity was overwhelming. Turning her back to Daphne, she ripped the letter open with a flourish.

_Dear Ginny,_

_I really hate to tell you this, but mum is a bit too distraught to tell you herself, and dad, well... I'm sure he wouldn't want to write this. And everyone else is far too wrapped up in their own business to tell you, so it's my duty to be the bearer of bad news._

'Oh, hell,' Ginny thought to herself before continuing.

_Father has lost his job at the Ministry of Magic thanks to the sudden depression after the War. Fred and George's business isn't getting quite as much attention or money as it used to because, well, times are bad and getting worse - no one's interested in a practical joke. The rest of the brothers and I are scrambling to get good jobs, but, well, jobs are pretty hard to come by around here._

_We're not doing too great, Gin. We're really not, and it's bloody scary._

_I just thought I'd fill you in, because since you've moved in with your friends, you're the last to get information._

_Love,_

_Ron._

Ginny finished the letter, then reread it. Before she knew it, tears were filling her eyes. She tried to string two comprehensible thoughts together, but all she got was _poor, dirty, muggle-lovers_. The thought - moreover, the memory - sent shivers down her spine.

_"You and your family's nothing but a bunch of poor, dirty, muggle-lovers," he said, the sneer only half-shown. Inside it hurt Ginny to hear the words, but outside she showed no pity._

_Ron opened his mouth to reply, but Ginny replied for him._

_  
"And your family's nothing but a load of loathsome, insufferable, prejudiced Death Eaters," she hissed back, just as icily. But as she looked into his eyes, she felt no hatred; only sadness, pity, and love._

"Weasley? _WEASLEY_?"

Ginny shook out of her reverie and turned to face Daphne. "Huh?"

Daphne rose an eyebrow. "You okay there, then?"

Ginny didn't bother answering. It was so obvious - to her, to her roommates - that she was _not_, in fact, okay. She was caught up in memories and daydreams of the past, of the war, and how her life could have been completely different if he had said three little words: '_I love you_.'

---------------

_She looked at him closely, smiling up at him underneath a nose of freckles. He smirked at her before covering his lips with hers. After a few moments, they broke apart, Ginny frowning slightly._

_"You're still with her, then?"_

_He sighed. "Yes."_

_Ginny moved away, out of his arms. "And why's that?"_

_"You know it's expected of me to stay with her, Ginny," the blond replied, rubbing his temples. "Her family and my family are..."_

_"I know," Ginny whispered, "I know. But... can't you try to explain to them? Just _try_?"_

_He laughed dryly. "And risk getting you murdered? No. Ginny, just..." He sighed and lightly touched her shoulder. "Please try to understand."_

_She backed away from his hand and looked at the floor._

---------------

Ginny had been in a world of memories while Daphne read Ron's letter. Horrified, Daphne dropped it and looked at her roommate.

"Ginny, you don't have to worry, I know _tons_ of places that are looking for workers!"

Ginny snapped out of her dream. "What? Really?"

Daphne nodded feverishly. "Hell yeah, mate! First off, we have _The Serpent's Lair..._"

"Uh, Daph, that store closed down after the War."

Daphne rose an eyebrow. "No it didn't. I was there last week..."

Ginny gasped. "Daphne, that's a _Death Eater _shop!"

"And...?"

"I used to work fighting against Death Eaters, Daph! I'm not going to work _for_ them now!"

Daphne sighed, thought for a moment, then smiled. "Alright then. There's also _Volet_, which a friend of mine owns."

"What kind of store is it?" asked Ginny cautiously.

"A magical photography shop."

Ginny contemplated this. "Is it... safe?"

"No, actually, he's been testing out potions on the cameras so that if a mudblood touches it they get an electric shock strong enough to murder them," she replied dryly. Her nonchalant use of the word 'mudblood' reminded Ginny, once more, how different Daphne was from any of her friends. A Slytherin through and through, she hated Hermione partially because she was of lesser blood and partially because she was simply annoying.

"Really, Ginny," Daphne continued, "would I send you someplace where you'd be hurt?"

"You tried sending me to _The Serpent's Lair_, a very well-known Death Eater shop! That's where a Death Eater bought a potion that almost _murdered_ Hermione!"

Daphne smiled to herself, fond of the memories.

"Besides, you don't know many non-Slytherins, and I'm not sure an ex-Slytherin would want _me_ to be touching their pretty little cameras. I might soil them."

"Oh, pish posh," Daphne said with a flip of her hand. "It pays well, and the owner of the shop is hardly ever there. You're a responsible young woman and any shop owner would love to have you. Besides, I know how much you love taking photographs." She slid on her strappy shoes and looked at herself once more in the mirror. Then, she grabbed a paper and pen and wrote something down.

"Now," Daphne continued, "I've got to go - date time. But here's the address to the shop, they're open every day from nine in the morning until eleven PM, except Sundays when they open at twelve and close at nine. I'd go check it out if I were you, Weasley, there's nothing to lose."

She began to walk out the door.

"Wait, Daphne, who owns the shop? Who should I ask for?"

Daphne grinned at her before answering with a curt "live dangerously or don't live at all, Weasley!" and then was gone.

_Live dangerously or don't live at all._ The words tossed around in her head for a moment while deciding what to do. Finally, she closed the bedroom door and changed into a nice pair of pants, a neat blouse, and dressy shoes.

She was going to _Volet_.

---------------

Ginny walked the streets of Hogsmeade, looking around at the shop signs. It had been a while since she went to Hogsmeade, and the amount of destruction due to the war was surprising. All around her, wizards were trying to repair the shops. There were signs on doors that said '_closed for repairs_,' and some that sadly said, '_closed for good_.'

A man in dark black robes rushed past her with a camera, taking pictures of the destruction. Ginny was almost knocked over as more people with cameras rushed past, aimed in the general direction she was headed. She walked slower, following them with increasing curiosity, until they finally disappeared into a shop. Looking up, she saw the sign read '_Le Volet_.'

_Well, well, well,_ Ginny thought to herself as she followed suit and walked in.

The noise in the shop was tremendous. The flash of bulbs and yelling of questions filled her ears all at once, and the lights were making her eyes water. But after overhearing something, she froze and couldn't find herself able to leave.

"Excuse me," a man with a notebook was asking a dark-skinned man behind the desk, "how do you explain the fact that yours is the only store in Hogsmeade that was unaffected by the war?"

Ginny rose an eyebrow and waited his response.

The man behind the desk shook his head. "I'm sorry, sir, but this isn't my shop. Its owner will return in five business days. Until then, I cannot answer any of your questions."

"How do we know he will answer our questions?" the man asked once more.

"He's my best friend. I will _make_ him answer. Now go!"

There was a general groan from the cameramen and note-takers, but they eventually left, leaving the shop empty except Ginny and the man. He finally noticed her and smiled, sitting up.

"Hello, I'm Blaise Zabini. What can I do for you today?"

Ginny froze. Oh, _no_. Daphne told her it wasn't run by people who would hate her, but Blaise and his gang of goons made it their living to disrespect her at Hogwarts!

"I... Er..." _Nice eloquency,_ Ginny taunted herself. "Um..."

Blaise rose an eyebrow. "Are you okay?"

She tried to calm herself. He didn't seem to know her, which was always a good sign. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

He looked at her quizzically. "Alright then. How may I help you?"

Ginny took a deep breath. "I'm interested in getting a job here."

---------------

_Author's Note: Welcome to a new Draco Ginny story! This would be the _If I Fell_ story with a new title. Please review!_

_Terminology:_

_  
Volet - Shutter  
Chapitre - Chapter  
Un - One  
Le Volet - The Shutter_


	2. CHAPITRE DEUX

TITLE: LE VOLET

RATING: T

GENRE: ROMANCE/DRAMA

SUMMARY: AFTER THE WAR, A DEPRESSION HITS THE WIZARDING WORLD. HER FATHER LOSES HER JOB AND MONEY'S RUNNING THIN, AND GINNY'S ONLY CHOICE IS TO GET A JOB WORKING FOR THE ONE MAN WHO TORMENTED HER AT HOGWARTS. BUT BEFORE GINNY KNOWS IT, SHE'S DROWNING IN POSSIBLE DEATH EATER RELATIONS THAT MAY JUST CAUSE MORE DESTRUCTION THAN THE WAR DID...

COUPLES: GWxDM, HGxRW, DGxZS, HAxBZ _(You may not know a bunch of those initials, but don't worry, they're ALL canon.)_

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SOME CHARACTERS.

CHAPITRE DEUX

_You said we were an accident With accidents you'll never know what could have been So we were an accident You'll always be my favorite one You hit the road and left me an ocean I can't swim in the silence of your skin-skin please let me in Side the times we never had right Inside two years alone with you You said we were an accident With accidents you'll never know what could have been So we were an accident You'll always be my favorite one Long winded promises of future company Up close the sound remains the same Without the reign of terror over every momentary change We are exactly as before_ MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK (My Favorite Accident)

Blaise looked happy for a moment, then seemed to recall something and sighed sadly. "I'm sorry... but we don't have any openings right now..."

"_Please_," she begged. "I love photography, and I know what I'm talking about. If any customers came in with a question, I'd be able to answer them. I'm very good with people, I'm trustworthy, I'm easy to handle, I'm available any day you need me..."

"Listen, I understand, but -"

"You _don't _understand," Ginny continued, now fiercly defending her position. "My family has been hit hard by the Depression. My father lost his job, and he's had the _same job _for all of my life -- hell, all of _his_ life! My brothers' business is running out of money, and my mum is about to have a mental breakdown. I feel utterly worthless because I don't have a job and I can't help out. If I got this job... I would not only be helping my family out, but I'm sure I'd help your business out, too."

It was silent, and Ginny wondered if she had gone too far. Blushing, she opened her mouth to apologize. "I -"

"Alright."

Ginny closed her mouth and stood, flabberghasted. "Wh-what?"

Blaise sighed. "I said, _alright_. Pick up a camera, then, and show me what you got."

"Promise?"

He shrugged. "Promise."

Ginny squealed happily and couldn't hide the grin that covered her face. "Thank-you! You won't regret this, Blaise!"

"Yeah, yeah..." Blaise said, smiling despite himself.

For the next hour, Ginny had to take pictures, develop film, show general knowledge about the parts of a camera, and more. After her time was up, Blaise shrugged.

"You know what you're talking about," he said. "You've got the job."

"Really?" She squealed again.

"Really. Don't back out of this and dissapoint me, now."

"Oh, thank you! I knew you were different from those Slytherin blokes, I just knew it!"

"It's fi--" He trailed off and looked at her closely. "How did you know I was in Slytherin?"

_Oh, crap. There goes anonymity._

"Uh... You looked like a Slytherin?" she offered lamely.

Blaise shook his head. "No, come on. Who are you? Do I know you from Hogwarts?"

She sighed. "If I tell you, will you take my job away?"

"No," he said seriously. "I'm a man of my word."

"I'm... Ginny Weasley."

Blaise's expression was easily readable. 'Holy crap,' it exclaimed loudly, 'I wish I hadn't made that promise.' Ginny cringed and looked down, the blush that filled her face noticeable now.

"This makes things _a lot_ more difficult," he muttered.

"What?"

Blaise shook his head. "Nothing. Nothing, I've said enough already. You just come in tomorrow, okay? See you later, Miss... uh... you know."

Ginny left the shop awkwardly, leaving Blaise to his thoughts. _He is _not_ going to be happy,_ he thought to himself before grabbing his wand and closing up for the day.

---------------

"I don't know if I like you working at _Le Volet_, Ginny," Hermione said quietly in the living room, sipping her coffee and eating a light breakfast. Although it was nearly eleven PM, Hermione had to have her energy since she had a shift at St Mungo's at twelve and didn't get home until six PM, when she slept. Ginny was reclining on the couch since Hannah and Daphne were having a huge row in Ginny's room.

Ginny sighed and looked down at the fireplace as Hermione continued.

"First off, the reporters talking about _Le Volet_ being the only shop in Hogsmeade not affected by the War. Isn't that a bit strange? Secondly, it's _Blaise_, Ginny! Don't you remember the dirty looks he gave you when you were at school? The way he acted with his friends... Oh! That's another thing -- this mysterious 'best friend' who owns the shop with him. Did you ever stop to think that maybe his friend was another Slytherin bloke?"

_Oh, no_. Ginny cringed -- she hadn't thought about this very much at all.

"D'you... Do you think the shop has something to do with Death Eaters?" Ginny asked timidly.

Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. But if Daphne gave you that job, I wouldn't be surprised."

Ginny let out a deep breath and ate a bit of her croissant. After she was done chewing, she said thoughtfully, "I wonder who Blaise's friend actually is..."

"I have a few ideas..." Hermione muttered quietly, sipping her coffee and looking _very _preoccupied.

---------------

Hannah overheard Hermione leave the flat and stuck her head out of the bedroom door. Ginny was sleeping soundly, curled up on the couch peacefully. She smiled to herself and lightly closed the door, turning around and looking at Daphne.

"Are you _sure_ this is going to work?" Hannah asked, crossing her arms. "I'm not sure if I like this plan one bit."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "Oh, loosen up, Abbot. Ginny hasn't been the same since they split up, right?"

Hannah looked pained. "I... suppose, but -"

"Well then, we're doing something for a friend, aren't we?" Daphne said assuringly. "Really. We're doing this for _Ginny_."

"I don't think we are!" Hannah spit back scaldingly. "I think we're doing this for _him_ because _you're_ his friend."

Daphne opened her mouth to defend herself, but Hannah kept going.

"Besides, if we wanted to help Ginny, we'd help her _get a new job_. Honestly, I don't think _Le Volet_ is safe at all. It's run by Death Eaters."

"Oh, please, Blaise hasn't been a Death Eater since..." Daphne trailed off. When, exactly, did he stop being a Death Eater? Was it before their shag in November, or after?

"So he _was_ a Death Eater! How do you know he's not still one, hmm? This wasn't planned out, Daphne, this is totally irresponsible and selfish. You just want to set up your friend and work out what's right for _him_!"

Daphne laughed dryly. "And so what if I do? I'm helping out two of my friends who are still obviously hung up on each other!"

"Has Ginny told you that? Has she specifically said, 'I still love him'?"

"Well..."

"I didn't think so!" Hannah yelled. "You're doing this for the bloody Slytherin who put Ginny in this funk in the _first_ place!"

---------------

Hermione opened the door to her flat and poked her head in. Ginny was asleep, and she smiled to herself as she reached to retrieve her forgotten paperwork. Just before grabbing the papers, she heard the continued yelling in Ginny's room and froze upon hearing Ginny's name.

"He still loves Ginny, he's told me himself that he still thinks about her all the time. I was just doing what I thought was best, so she could be falling back in love with a man she's _always_ loved!" Daphne was saying, faux-calmly.

Hermione froze. She had a good feeling of who Daphne was talking about.

"He should have thought about that before he went and married Pansy, then!" Hannah yelled back.

"You don't know the whole story."

Hannah laughed dryly. "Does Ginny?"

_No,_ Hermione thought to herself. _But _I_ know enough of it._

"No," Daphne answered truthfully. "But she will!"

Hermione could hear the voices get closer to her.

"That's if she takes the job after learning who the boss is!" Hannah growled, opening the door. She was about to say the name when she found herself face to face with Hermione.

It was silent as a glaring battle occured between Daphne and Hermione. After a while, Hermione cleared her throat.

"You're not going to get her back together with that _slime_. Not again."

Without another word, she turned and left the flat.

---------------

It was five in the morning, and Blaise was walking the dirty, cold, and empty streets of Hogsmeade. He fixed his coat and held it above his neck as a cold breeze rushed through him and shuddered. Continuing the walk, Blaise let his mind flash back as he thought about his newest employee.

---------------

_Blaise looked up from his emerald armchair in the slightly-crowded Slytherin commonroom as a familiar face clammored in. With a disgusted look around, he threw his arm out, knocking over a bunch of Slytherin-esque trinkets from a shelf. Silver and gold objects crashed to the floor, the spectacle raising attention. _

_"Out!" he yelled, glaring around the room. "Everyone get the hell _out_!"_

_Everyone obliged -- except Blaise. He put down the book he was reading and walked up to his friend, who had grown still by the window._

_  
"What's up?" He asked._

_He glared at Blaise. "Nothing."_

_"Come on, Dragon, I know you better than that. Tell me what's going on."_

_Dragon sighed and looked at Blaise closely. "She broke up with me. _She_ goddamn broke up with _me_!"_

_Blaise didn't have to ask who 'she' was -- he was the only one of Dragon's 'friends' who Dragon actually trusted with information such as his relationship with Ginny Weasley. Although Blaise listened to Dragon about every fight, make up, kiss, and shag, somewhere in the back of his mind he knew this day was coming. It wasn't safe to juggle two girls -- even if it was necessary. And though Blaise had never technically spoken to Ginny, he'd heard enough about her to know that she wouldn't want to be strung along -- she'd want to be the only girl in Dragon's life. And, at the moment, that was impossible._

_"I knew it would happen," Dragon said quietly after a while, "but I didn't know she'd do it now. Not after..."_

_He trailed off as Snape threw the dungeon door open. "Hogwarts is under attack," he said quickly. "Grab your wands."_

---------------

Ginny awoke early the next morning and found herself less than eager to get to work. Hermione was probably right -- Blaise was just a Slytherin thug who wanted no more than to waste her time and leave her penniless. But once she got there, Blaise just smiled at her as if nothing had happened... as if she was just another co-worker. Immediately, she relaxed.

"Mr Zabini?" Another co-worker, a small, thin girl with bright blonde hair, asked brightly.

"Yes, Ella?"

"Dragon is calling for you from the fireplace."

Blaise's face grew dark, and he automatically glanced at Ginny. Without another word, he left the room and followed Ella into a back room. Somewhere in the back of her mind as she wiped down the cameras, she had the strangest feeling of foreshadowing.

She was working on setting up a camera for customers to practice on when a yell came from the room Blaise had gone into. She could only grab bits and pieces of the conversation, but she heard someone mention coming back early - to which Blaise replied with a nervous "Idon'tthinkyoushoulddothat" as he stammered for an explanation.

"Tell me why, Zabini. **Now**," 'Dragon' yelled, the voice sounding oddly familiar.

"Um... well... She's here..."

"**WHO**? You know what? Don't answer that. I'm coming back, whether you like it or not."

It was quiet, and after a few moments Blaise reappeared. He glared at Ginny, then frowned and went back to reorganizing his files.

_Hm_... Ginny thought to herself as she grabbed a notepad, copying down some notes on Blaise's conversation:

_- 'Dragon' coming back early  
- Blaise doesn't want him to come back  
- 'She's' here -- she?  
- Dragon still coming anyway; Blaise angry_

She reread her notes, then sighed. They were ridiculously vague, and she didn't know why she was taking notes anyway, but something made her fold the paper up and put it in her pocket for safe keeping. She never knew when it might come in handy.

---------------

It seemed as if she were only there for two minutes (though it was really four hours) when Blaise came up to her.

"Um... Weasley..."

Ginny looked up at Blaise, smiling slightly. "Yes, Mr Zabini?"

Blaise cringed. "Please, call me Blaise."

She smiled again. "Yes, _Blaise_?"

He glanced at the door nervously. Ginny noticed this with a raised eyebrow and tilted her head to the side, looking at the door as well. Blaise looked at her, then at the door again, then back at Ginny. The scene would have been funny if Blaise hadn't looked so utterly nauseated.

"Uh, Blaise?"

"Huh?" he said. Then he seemed to remember, and began talking quickly: "Um, you can leave early tonight. Since it's your first day. Actually, we're going to close up early. You don't have to help us with that." He walked -- no, _ran_ -- to the coat rack and practically threw Ginny's bright red trench coat at her. He then lightly dragged her from her spot at the file cabinet and pulled her towards the door. "Here. I'll give you your pay tomorrow. Bye!"

Ginny turned to glare at Blaise, who seemed nervous at the action.

"What's going on? I refuse to leave until you tell me what's going on!"

"Ginny -" He coughed out, his throat amazingly dry, "Just go if you know what's good for you, please!"

"No, tell me what's going -"

"Zabini? I'm here," said a cold, familiar voice from behind her. Blaise noticeably froze.

Ginny rose an eyebrow. Slowly, she turned around...

...and found herself face-to-face with the one Slytherin whose image she _still_ had trouble getting out of her head, even four years later.

"M... Malfoy?" she sputtered.

Draco's eyes grew wide. "..._Weasley_?"

Blaise laughed nervously and stood between the two. "Uh... Draco... Meet our new assistant. Ginevra Weasley."

---------------

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update! Hope you liked this little twist. Hee hee! Review please!_


	3. CHAPITRE TROIS

TITLE: LE VOLET

RATING: T

GENRE: ROMANCE/DRAMA

SUMMARY: AFTER THE WAR, A DEPRESSION HITS THE WIZARDING WORLD. HER FATHER LOSES HER JOB AND MONEY'S RUNNING THIN, AND GINNY'S ONLY CHOICE IS TO GET A JOB WORKING FOR THE ONE MAN WHO TORMENTED HER AT HOGWARTS. BUT BEFORE GINNY KNOWS IT, SHE'S DROWNING IN POSSIBLE DEATH EATER RELATIONS THAT MAY JUST CAUSE MORE DESTRUCTION THAN THE WAR DID...

COUPLES: HPxGW, GWxDM, HGxRW, DGxBZ, HAxHP _(You may not know a bunch of those initials, but don't worry, they're ALL canon.)_

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SOME CHARACTERS.

CHAPITRE TROIS

_One flight down There's a song on low And your mind just picked up on the sound Now you know you're wrong Because it drifts like smoke And it's been there playing all along Now you know Now you know The reeds and brass have been weaving Leading into a single note In this place Where your arms unfold Here at least you see your ancient face Now you know Now you know The cadence rolls in broken Plays it over and then goes One flight down There's a song on low And it's been there playing all along Now you know Now you know _NORAH JONES (One Flight Down)

Ginny stood, open-mouthed, where she was. Draco made a sort of weird gesture with his lips in an attempt of a smile, but only made him look like he had accidentally eaten something that's expiration date was two years back. Blaise was saying something about what a good worker Ginny was, how she wasn't late for work, how she was sweet and amiable to the customers, but Draco wasn't listening. He was eyeing Ginny closely, checking up on what had changed over the past few years.

She was, obviously, taller. Much so. She was still thin, but had filled out -- her body matured nicely. Her hair was longer -- below shoulder-length, now, instead of the little crop it once was. It was more reddish, with orange and yellow streaks naturally painted through her locks. Her green eyes looked incredibly bright, he noticed.

She was wearing a brown shirt that hugged her curves with a small, thin brown scarf draped around neck. Her skirt was, also, brown, had pleats in it, and went a bit above her knees, but at a respectable length. Her shoes were brown boots. She looked like a little girl wanting to look good on her first day of school - but the effect was lost on her. Instead of looking like a little girl, she looked like a gorgeous grown woman. After all this, he concluded one thing.

She was still incredibly beautiful.

------------------

Ginny looked over Draco out of the corner of her eye. He was taller, more muscled. His hair was, if possible, blonder than ever before, and was ruffled a bit. His cold blue eyes were piercing now, and had become almost as silver as his hair.

Draco was wearing a white oxford shirt that was untucked with a blue tie carelessly thrown on. His jeans were a bit tight, but Ginny wasn't complaining; she actually felt her face getting hot. Draco saw her blush and smirked, sending Ginny goosebumps. This was all just too _weird._

"Well... I think Ginevra was just leaving..." Blaise said carefully, looking from Draco to Ginny and back again. "Weren't you?"

Ginny snapped out of her reverie. "Huh? Oh... yeah. Yeah, I was just leaving for the day."

Draco smiled as best he could and swallowed heavy. "Bye, Ginevra. It was nice seeing you again."

Ginny felt her hands form fists, and she resisted the urge to knock him out. She calmed herself down and muttered, "Yeah, it's been great," while leaving as fast as she could, putting her coat on as she practically ran down the street.

She was seething while she walked down Hogsmeade, glaring at random villagers who were on their way home from work. _It was nice seeing you again_? What the _hell_ was that? That was the best thing he could say, after _four years_? He was _twenty years old_. He worked with people _every day_. Didn't something in the back of his mind yell out and say, "hey, buddy, this is your EX-GIRLFRIEND whose heart you shattered in a million pieces! Say something _good_?"

Apparently not.

As she walked -- actually, more like power walked slash attacked the pavement -- to her favorite bar, _The Goblet_, she reached in her pockets for a hair scrunchie, finding only one of those immature pink-balled ones that shouted out, 'hi, I'm five!' and threw her hair up in the messiest ponytail ever. But you know what? She didn't care.

She planned on getting very, _very_ drunk.

------------------

_She woke up slowly, blinking away the sunlight that drenched the room. She was tangled in a sea of dark, midnight-black sheets and dark green pillows. Slytherin colors that only reminded her more of the Gryffindor traitor she was._

_"Morning, _minet_," a voice cooed from across the bedroom. Ginny turned and smiled as its owner sauntered over to the bed and kissed her fiercely, laying her back on the bed and lightly climbing on top of her. After a moment, they broke apart, and Draco smirked down at her. She blushed innocently and looked down, biting her lip to stop the smile that was trying desperately to engulf her face._

_  
"Happy?" he asked gently, a bit of hopefulness resting in the pit of his stomach._

_She let the smile control her and grinned. "Immensely."_

_"Good," he said, rolling off her and laying next to her. He got situated underneath the covers with her and pressed against her, burrowing his head into her neck and putting his arm around her torso. "Because I am, too."_

_She could feel him start to drift off to sleep, but it was impossible for her to. She stared at the ceiling, the shadow of a smile across her face._

------------------

"Hit me again," Ginny said, giggling drunkly. She lifted her now-empty beer glass and shook it, trying to grab the attention of the bartender. When that didn't work, she hit it with her finger, the _pingpingping_ noises echoing in one of the bartender's head. The head bartender pushed a younger male worker towards her and motioned for him to do his job.

He sighed and frowned at her, a dirty dishrag over his shoulder. "Are you sure you should, miss?"

"Listen, Tom -"

The man rose an eyebrow. "My name is _Greg..._"

"Listen, Tom. I'm a girl. I've had a bad day. I'm holding a wand. I'm highly trained in the Dark Arts, thanks to auror training. _Any questions_ on whether you're gonna give me that drink or not?"

Greg gulped, poured her more gin and tonic, and slid it over to her. She downed it in one, two, three gulps, then sighed. Ginny stared into her cup, feeling as empty as her glass. Without another thought, she let the tears wash over her.

------------------

"What the bloody hell was that?" Draco hissed after Ginny was long gone.

Blaise looked startled. "What the bloody hell are you going on about?" he asked, in what seemed like an innocently confused voice.

"_Weasley_, you bloody moron!" Draco yelled. "When you gave her the job, didn't the bloody _red hair, green eyes, _and_ **freakish freckles**_ remind you of someone? The girl who bloody **BROKE MY HEART**, perhaps?"

"Well, I..."

"No excuses, Zabini. Why did you hire her even after you _knew_ our history?"

Blaise looked down. "I didn't want to break my promise."

Draco grumbled, rubbing his temples. "You have to get over that, Zabini. It's been three years."

"Right, Dragon. Just like you should get over Ginevra."

------------------

Harry was walking to the apartment he shared with Seamus Finnegan and Zacharias Smith when the sound of someone getting sick by the alleyway filled his ears. Finding the curiosity overwhelming, and mainly just being a nice person, he turned the corner and, gripping his wand, whispered, "_Lumos_."

He only had to see the red hair to know who it was.

"Ginny!" He whispered, rushing over to the cowering girl. She was leaning against a dumpster, a bit of vomit on the floor by where she was sitting. She was clutching her stomach protectively, shaking slightly. Harry took off his sweater and wrapped it around her, helping her stand and letting her lean on him.

"Are you okay, Gin?" he asked gently, trying not to make any wild movements to make her stomach turn again.

Ginny looked over at him slowly, smiling through pain. The drunkness was beginning to wear off, and she was left with the horrible aftertaste of vomit and firewhiskey. She nodded, wincing.

They began walking out of the alleyway and back to Harry's flat, since it was closest.

"Can you walk alright?"

She nodded again, then quickly regretted it.

"Ow," she muttered, lifting up a hand to hold her head. "Nodding _hurts_."

"Bloody hell, Ginny, how trashed did you get yourself?"

Ginny cringed. "Not trashed enough to forget my awful day."

Harry frowned. "What happened?"

"I, uh..." she stumbled over her words. She didn't want to tell Harry about Draco -- not after the way he'd reacted _last_ time...

------------------

_Ginny sat in the Great Hall, eating silently and staring into her dinner. Ron and Harry exchanged worried glances and were about to ask Ginny what was wrong when Draco walked up to the table, standing behind Harry._

_Ginny noticed, but kept her eyes firmly facing the ground._

_Harry turned around and shook his head, clenching his fists. "What do _you_ want, Malfoy?" he growled. Ron was about to jump in and say something equally rude, but then he caught a glimpse of Draco's face. It looked like he hadn't slept in a week, the bags under his eyes were so dark. His eyes were not only their cool steel-color they once were, but now had twinges of red in them. And his hair, usually neatly slicked back, hung ruffled on top of his head, lifeless._

_Draco didn't seem to notice Harry and his friends, or at least, he pretended he didn't. He focused on Ginny and Ginny only. And Ginny focused on her meat loaf._

_  
"Why won't you talk to me?" he asked, desperation and sorrow imbedded deep in his voice._

_Tears sprung to Ginny's eyes; the pain was still too new to think of looking at him._

_"What are you _on_, Malfoy?" Ron hissed, then looked at Hermione, not knowing fully why. But as he saw her face -- anger, mixed with sadness -- he knew _something_ was up. "What's going on?"_

_"Don't bother her, Malfoy," Hermione said quietly, looking at him closely. Draco finally looked at someone other than Ginny and sneered for a moment, until seeing Hermione's eyes. Her secret message -- _I know about you two.

_Harry glanced at Hermione, wondering why she seemed to be civil towards the man who did nothing but taunt her. _

_"Get out of here, Malfoy -" Ron started to say._

_Draco reached out and touched Ginny's hand; she kept still. The tears showed now._

_"Talk to me. _Please_," Draco begged._

_"Just stop, Malfoy!" Hermione yelled, and the Great Hall became unanimously silent._

_Ron clenched his fists and stood up, blocking Draco's view. "If you don't stop staring at my sister, Malfoy, I swear to Merlin I'll -"_

_Draco was grasping for straws -- he knew soon he'd get punched by either Golden Boy or the Red-Haired Weasel, so he had to spit his words out fast._

_"Tell me you don't want to be with me anymore. Just tell me you don't want to be with me and I'll stop."_

_Ginny looked up for the first time that night. "I don't want to be with you!" she yelled._

_Then Harry understood all that was going on behind everyone's backs. And as Harry punched Draco, Draco could do nothing but let himself be hit, and will the darkness to come._

------------------

_"How long?" _

_Ginny stared into the fire, sighing. Her heart felt heavy, the way a guilty child feels after doing something their parents specifically told them not to do, and then lying to them about it afterwards._

_"_How long_?" Ron yelled, crouching down to her level on the floor and putting his face in hers, forcing her to look at him. She turned her head away._

_"Five months."_

_"Five months," Ron repeated. "_FIVE MONTHS_, you've been going out with this _SLIMEBALL_? When were you going to tell me? Hmm? When?"_

_Ginny laughed dryly. "Never, Ron. You wouldn't understand."_

_"Oh, I think I understand perfectly. You loved him. He wanted you for a good shag. And now, you're left with nothing."_

_Ginny shook her head and glared at her brother. "That's not true! He loved me!"_

_"Loved, Gin." And that was all Ron had to say before Ginny knew -- he was right._

------------------

"What happened?"

Ginny stumbled over her own words as Harry waited to open the door to his flat. Her head was begging her not to tell him, but her tongue -- still slightly controlled by the firewhiskey -- blabbed everything. Her family's situation, her need to get a job, Draco working there also and saying nothing but "it was nice seeing you again." And as she went on and on, the tears would come in at some parts, and at one point she ripped apart the sleeve of her jacket in anger.

She expected yelling. Or, at least, something angry.

But she got... a leap of joy...?

"Harry, I just told you about the freakin' crappy day I had, and you're jumping around in happiness?" she spat, crossing her arms.

Harry laughed. "Everything's going to be great, Ginny. Just **great**! Come inside, you can floo home. I'll come with you, I need to speak to Hermione for a bit."

Ginny rose an eyebrow, but followed her friend inside.

------------------

Hermione growled, pacing the corridor outside the door to her flat where she was talking with Harry about Ginny's situation.

"I knew it!" she hissed, "I just **knew** Malfoy was going to be involved with this. There's always an ulterior motive with Greengrass. I **knew** it! Well, you know what we have to do."

Harry nodded.

"We have to get Ginny to quit. Right away. Possibly tomorrow. Or maybe she should send Zabini an owl -"

Harry choked for a moment. "Wait, what?" he asked. "You want her to _quit_?"

Hermione rose an eyebrow. "...Yes...?"

"Are you joking? She can't quit. This is perfect -- the Order's been looking for a way to nab Malfoy and Zabini for dark Death Eater dealings, but we've never been able to get information. Now we have an inside source!"

It was Hermione's turn to choke. "Are you **insane**?"

"Are _you_?"

"No, I don't think _I'm_ insane for thinking Ginny should quit the job because the man who owns the business was the one who **broke her heart**. No, I don't think _I'm_ insane at all!" she replied, feeling aggravated.

"Ginny can't quit her job -- she needs the money, and she's lucky to have even found a job. I think she'll enjoy staying there if she knows she's not only helping the Death Eaters lose, but helping _Malfoy_ lose."

Hermione got ready to answer, but Ginny appeared at the door.

"I think I deserve to decide on my own," she said.

"And...?"

Ginny smirked slightly. "I'd like to spite Malfoy. I'll do it."

------------------

_Author's note: And so it begins... dah dah DAAAAAAH! Hehe. Keep up the fantasmic reviews, guys. Thanks! See you next chapter._

TRANSLATIONS FOR CHAPTER: _Minet _- Kitten, pussycat.


	4. CHAPITRE QUATRE

TITLE: LE VOLET

RATING: T

GENRE: ROMANCE/DRAMA

SUMMARY: AFTER THE WAR, A DEPRESSION HITS THE WIZARDING WORLD. HER FATHER LOSES HER JOB AND MONEY'S RUNNING THIN, AND GINNY'S ONLY CHOICE IS TO GET A JOB WORKING FOR THE ONE MAN WHO TORMENTED HER AT HOGWARTS. BUT BEFORE GINNY KNOWS IT, SHE'S DROWNING IN POSSIBLE DEATH EATER RELATIONS THAT MAY JUST CAUSE MORE DESTRUCTION THAN THE WAR DID...

COUPLES: HPxGW, GWxDM, HGxRW, DGxBZ, HAxHP _(You may not know a bunch of those initials, but don't worry, they're ALL canon.)_

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SOME CHARACTERS.

CHAPITRE TROIS

The next morning, Hannah and Ginny sat back-to-back on Ginny's bed, arms intertwined between them, a position they perfected whenever one of them needed to 'girl talk' without the awkward feeling of knowing someone's looking at you blush or cry. Ginny let Hannah go first, so Ginny would have more time to think of what to say. Even after a half hour of Hannah's talking, all Ginny had come up with was, "so, yesterday at _Le Volet_..."

"...And then at St. Mungo's, there was this horrible man who had been stunned by some sort of gang repeatedly. He'd gone completely insane, but he was mumbling something about Dragonfire. We tried to ask who or what 'Dragonfire' was but kept saying 'blue dragon, blue dragon.' It was so surreal, like some sort of horror story! I nearly got _goose bumps_..."

Ginny froze. _Dragonfire_? Blaise _was_ talking to a man named Dragon just today...

Hannah continued, "The _Dark Mark_ was _imbedded in his skin_! But we did a background check and found it was only a tattoo, given that day, and that it wasn't actually the _real_ Dark Mark. But it was a bit odd, wasn't it? I mean, who would do such a thing? Just goes to show some people are loony. I mean, we _defeated_ Voldemort, and yet there are still crazed followers!"

Ginny interrupted. "Do you know anything else about Dragonfire?"

The blonde Hufflepuff stopped to think for a moment. "I don't think... Oh, yes! The person who found him, Kevin -- a very nice man, by the way; I may try hooking him up with someone -- said that someone in snakeskin robes was holding their wand to the man's face. Kevin yelled out and the person ran away. He didn't get to see their face."

Snakeskin robes. Snakeskin robes. She tried to think of any way she could pin the article of clothing to either Blaise or Draco, but couldn't. She sighed and let her friend finish up.

"He said the person looked really fidgety, like they'd never stunned a person before. Strange, hmm?"

Ginny nodded. "Strange," she agreed.

"Now, your turn!" Hannah prodded.

She sighed. "Well --"

"Excuse me, Hannah," Hermione interrupted, smiling sheepishly. "I need to talk to Ginny before she goes off to work and before I... well... go to sleep."

Hannah removed herself from Ginny's arms and glanced at Hermione, smiling slightly, though it was obvious she was bubbling with curiosity. She left the room, leaving with her all levity that once filled the room.

Hermione looked at Ginny, and she knew what was going to come.

"I really don't think you should do this, Ginny. Malfoy's no good for you, and being around him is only going to cause trouble..."

Ginny laughed dryly. "That's what you said last time."

"And you saw how well that worked out, didn't you?"

Ginny said nothing, and Hermione grinned to herself. Hermione Granger - 1, Ginny Weasley - 0.

"Hermione, listen. Last time you were saying this because I was _involved _with Draco. Well, now, I don't have any desire whatsoever to be involved with him. I need the money, and I'm helping out the Order. See? You have nothing to worry about."

Hermione shook her head. "I'm worried that you still call him Draco."

"Er... Ginny?"

Ginny turned around and smiled at Harry, who stood in the doorway.

"Hello, Harry."

Harry smiled politely, but the anxious look on his face never left.

"Are you ready for some heavy-duty spy work?"

Ginny grinned. "More than ready, boss."

---------------

"Four thousand, three hundred, and twenty _four_... Four thousand, three hundred, and twenty _five..._"

Ginny grumbled. _This_ was what Harry called 'heavy-duty spy work?' She was counting off the amount of film packs there were in the _entire store_! She'd been doing it for two hours, _without breaks or food,_ and her eyes were getting dotty. Was this what it felt like to have a stroke? Too much black... Too many numbers... Too many goddamn packets...

"Weasley?" Draco called from his spot at the front of the shop. "You okay there?"

Ginny turned around and smiled. "Twenty six hundred four thousand and three," she stated, giggling slightly manically.

Draco rose an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She had to hold onto the side of the _Buy One, Get One Free!_ sign to prevent herself from falling on the floor. She mentally cursed herself; she was supposed to be the strong, I-don't-need-help-from-no-one, heavy-duty spy! And now, here she was, holding on to a tripod -- a _pathetic_ excuse for a tripod, might I add -- for dear life.

This _sucked_.

"_Weasley_," Draco grumbled, starting to get exasperated. "Are you okay, or what?"

Ginny looked up at him with wide eyes, preparing herself to let go.

"Two," she whispered, as she started to fall to the ground.

Draco cursed under his breath and ran towards her, catching her _just_ before she hit the ground.

_Honestly, Weasley_... he thought to himself before propping her in a chair and _accio_-ing a pitcher of water. _I'm not always going to be here to catch you when you fall._

Blaise entered the store just in time to find Draco putting what seemed to be a lifeless Ginny in a chair. Gasping, he yelled, "_Malfoy_! I _know_ you didn't like the girl, but you didn't have to _kill_ her!"

"Are you bloody daft? I didn't kill her. She fainted from all the work you made her do!" He growled, pouring some water onto a sponge and patting it on her head. "What were you thinking, telling her to count _all_ the packets of film for two hours with no breaks? Are you bloody insane? That's slave labor!"

"I -- but -- you --" he stammered. "It's not that much!"

"You're working her to death, Zabini."

"Hey..." Blaise remembered, "I thought you didn't like her anymore."

"I don't," Draco muttered, making sure that when she woke up, she wouldn't be in an uncomfortable position.

Blaise smirked. "You seem to be putting an awful lot of thought into her well being."

Draco turned to glare at his friend. "I _don't_ care for her," he spat. "And don't smirk. That's _mine_."

"Four thousand... three hundred... and twenty six," Ginny muttered, coming to.

Draco sent Blaise a pointed look.

"Okay..._ maybe_ I can cut back on the workload..." Looking at Draco's look, he added, "_Definitely_ will cut back on the workload."

---------------

Ginny smiled contently, she had a _much_ easier job now: setting up for a presentation in which Ann Camery, a witch photographer Ginny had never heard of, would teach people of all ages how to use a camera. Ginny silently scoffed: what did this _Ann Camery_ woman know about cameras that Ginny didn't?

"Uh, Weasley?"

Ginny turned around to address Draco.

"Yes, Dra... Mal... Mister... Yes?" she said, cringing through each attempt at a title.

Draco smirked. "Blaise and I are going to try and track down this Ann woman -- she appears to have gotten herself _lost_. We might be out for a while, seeing as she says she's in Ireland."

Ginny's eyes bulged. "_Ireland_?"

"Yes. Apparently when she read the directions that said 'turn east,' she _turned east_... all the way to another bloody country."

Ginny snorted, but quickly saved it by adding a false cough right after it. "Um, right, well, what should I do while you're gone?"

"Just..." he trailed off, then shrugged. "Help people out. Make sure no one steals anything, and if they do, pretend you know the cruciatus curse."

"Um... I _do_ know the cruciatus curse."

Malfoy coughed. "Well, better for you then -- use it on anyone who steals. Be back soon. Let's go, Zabini."

Zabini followed after and before leaving called, "Help Miss Weasley out, Ella!"

Ginny gasped slightly: she had forgotten Ella was even there. Ella was a quiet, intense blonde with silver-blue eyes and pretty, heart-shaped face. She reminded Ginny of one of her favorite novel's characters: Mr. Darcy's sister, Georgiana from _Pride and Prejudice_. Ella had hardly said much to Ginny, only smiled politely now and again when they were forced to act civil, but Ginny could tell her civil front was just that -- a front. Ella, apparently, had a deep dislike for Ginny, and though she didn't understand why, she was sure that in the hours they were spend together while Draco was looking for Ann, she might find out.

"So, I suppose I should open shop then?" Ella asked, a disgusted sort of look on her face as if she had smelt something bad. Ginny's memory was triggered by the look, but couldn't place what, exactly, she was remembering.

"Um... yes, that would be... fine, I guess."

Ella nodded and made to unlock the doors, then opened the windows and set up the decorations. While she did this, Ginny had a brilliant idea: now that Draco was gone, she could snoop around and find something of interest. Perhaps she could find the clues to who, exactly, 'Dragonfire' was.

"Ella? I'm going to look around and fix things up, okay? For, the, um..."

Ella rose her eyebrow as to say 'just go, no one cares.' Ginny shrugged: fine, if Ella didn't care, neither did she. With another sweeping glance, she began to go through the door marked '_Private_.' She opened the door and, by its own accord, closed by itself, plunging her into complete darkness. She was scared for a full four minutes before realizing that -- _duh _-- she was a witch.

"Oh. _Lumos_!"

She could now see that there was a staircase in front of her and nothing else; just the staircase leading up, up, up, to who-knows-where. Taking a deep breath, she began to climb...

"Miss_ Weasley_!" Ella yelled scandalously.

Ginny froze, not daring to turn around. She had been caught -- blatantly caught as well. What excuse could she have? She _fell_ through the door and up the stairs? Likely story.

"What are you _doing_? Poking your nose around in places they aren't wanted!"

Ginny cringed.

"...And doing it without me!"

...Well Ginny certainly wasn't expecting _that_... Ella closed the door behind her and caught up with Ginny, giggling. "I've been wanting to come up here for_ever_, but never had the nerve. Now I don't feel quite as foolish!" She skipped the next few steps, forgetting all about Ginny. _Well that was odd... _Ginny thought to herself as she followed Ella's shadow up the stairs and into the hallway.

Ella was waiting for her at the top of the stairs, which led to the middle of a darkened hallway. She seemed snappish once more -- without Ginny's wand light, she had been standing in complete darkness. _I suppose all I'm worth is a bit of light,_ Ginny thought to herself, amused.

"Oh, hurry _up_!" Ella whined. Ginny rolled her eyes and held her wand up higher so the light was evenly distributed. Looking closer, there were three doors in the hallway: 2 on either side of them, and one at the far end. Ella ran over to one of them and attempted to open it, but it wouldn't budge. "Oh, bullocks!" _Such a pretty girl with the mouth of a sailor,_ Ginny laughed to herself. She walked up to the door Ella was trying to open and said, clearly, "_Alohamora._"

The lock opened. Ella looked impressed. "I should learn that one."

That struck Ginny as curious. She was about nineteen or so... how did she not learn _Alohamora_? Did she even have a wand? She pushed the questions out of her mind; she had more important things to worry about. With her lit wand, she entered the room. As soon as she stepped in and saw what the room was, however, she gasped and stepped back out.

"What's wrong?" asked Ella, sounding quite agitated.

Ginny rolled her eyes. Honestly, did this girl know _anything_ about where she was working? Did she know what a camera _was_?

"It's where the film is developed, if I bring my wand in there the film will be ruined."

Ella frowned, clearly disapointed. She recovered quickly, however, once she realized she still had 2 more doors to snoop through. She walked across the hall and pointed to the lock. Ginny sighed. "_Alohamora_." Ella stepped in first and smiled.

"It must be Mr. Zabini's office!" she giggled, feeling about.

Ginny looked around curiously. The office was rather small for a man who owned so much. There was a metal bookcase on the left wall, with a billion papers and post-it notes scattered everywhere. There were also small figurines of Quidditch figures, cameras, rolls of film, and broomsticks. Ginny smirked; he was still every bit of the Zabini she had known from Hogwarts.

On the right wall were two armchairs with a small table in between them. On the table rested _Quidditch Monthly _and _Photography Now! _magazines, plus a couple of _Daily Prophet_ newspapers. There was a painting of he and Malfoy sitting side-by-side above the table. Upon closer examination, she could see that Blaise was the only one smiling; Draco just looked bored. _How surprising_, she thought cynically to herself before looking over at the north wall.

That seemed to be his private area, where he was most often. There was his front desk, which had so many papers on it she couldn't tell where the papers ended and the desk began. There was, like the bookcase, various figurines and paperweights. Behind his swivel chair was a bulletin board, with random pictures and notes scattered about: a picture of him and some girl, a picture of he and a member of the Canons (wouldn't Ron _love_ this?) and a note that read: _Floo to Dragon's apt. - Friday, 6pm._

Friday? That was only two days from now. She grabbed a pen from his desk and wrote '_Friday, 6pm_' on the palm of her hand, then placed the pen back where she found it.

"Well, this room was a bust," Ella whined. "One more, though!" And then she was gone, skipping to the end of the hall.

Ginny decided to take her time: the girl couldn't do anything without her anyway. She had the feeling something else was in the room... Working on a hunch, she looked underneath Blaise's desk and... _A-ha!_ She reached under and pulled out a dark, green, leather journal that read _Il Journale_. She snorted; what a corny name for a journal. Might as well call it _Diary_. She flipped the flap open and began to read...

"Miss Weasley!" Ella called, sounding nervous. "I hear noise downstairs!"

Ginny froze. If Blaise found her up here, he would _kill_ her... not to mention fire her. And that wouldn't be good for _anyone_. She slipped the diary under his desk and ran out of his office, closing the door behind her. She grabbed Ella's arm and ran with her down the steps, skipping a few and tripping now and then when she would forget to point her wand towards the floor. Seconds later, she stumbled out of the door and into the main shop of _Le Volet_, only to find that it wasn't Draco, or Blaise, or even Ann, for that matter, but a tall, muscular and _very_ threatening-looking man. He was wearing a hooded black robe that covered the details of his face, which didn't help Ginny's apprehension.

"H-Hello..." Ginny said, cursing herself for stuttering. "Welcome to _Le Volet_. How may I help you?"

The man smirked. "Where's Dragon." He said it like a statement or command rather than a question, and Ginny had the freakish urge to do _any _command he asked of her, in fear of her life. But, of course, he asked for the one thing she couldn't give.

Wasn't that just the irony of life?

"In Ireland, sir." What a pathetic reply.

He laughed dryly. "_Right_." He stepped forward as she was forced to step back, slamming into the door behind her. _Where the bloody hell is Ella?_ she thought to herself, panicked.

He carried his wand over her jaw and smirked. "Now why don't you tell me where he _really_ is, or I'll be forced to scar your _pretty _face."

Ginny clenched her teeth and tried not to act nervous. "_Ireland_," she insisted. "That's all I know!"

"Oh, tsk tsk," he taunted, "didn't your mother teach you not to lie to big, scary men?" He smirked. "Now I'll be forced to teach you myself."

Ginny really, _really _didn't like the sound of that. As her _fight or flight_ mechanism kicked in, she decided to use a mix of both. While punching him in the groin -- which actually seemed to cause him to stumble -- she ran past him just in time to hear the door she was just leaning on shatter into a million pieces.

_That could have been me, that could have been me, that could have been me,_ she thought to herself as she continued her frantic run down the street. She looked around; practically no shops were open, goddamnit, where could she hide? She looked to her right and formulated a plan: there was a series of low-roofed buildings that seemed generally easy to climb on. And, although there were probably tons of better spots to run, she only had time to make that rash decision: he was literally steps behind her.

"_Bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody hell, bloody _**hell**!" she repeated, running inside the first building with the highest roof. The place was deserted and destroyed, with plaster and wood blocks everywhere, blocking her path. There were statues everywhere, and Ginny concluded it must have been some sort of art shop. The room was unfamiliar to her, and she had a bit of trouble finding the staircase to the roof. But, finally, she saw it, and _ran_.

"When I catch up to you, you're _dead_!" the man yelled from behind her. "_Stupefy_!"

She screamed as his spell missed her slightly and ended up hitting a stained glass window right next to her. The glass fell everywhere, and she distinctly felt a piece of glass slice her arm. She tried not to think of how much it hurt her as she kept running up, finally finding the door to the roof... _locked_.

"YOU'VE GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" She screamed. "BLOODY _ALOHAMORA_!"

The door opened, and she ran out, quickly looking around. Ginny ran to the side of the building, looking down at the distance from the roof she was on to the one next to her. It wasn't _that_ bad. Of course, if she miscalculated the _tiniest_ centimeter...

"_Bitch_!" the man yelled, following her.

... She didn't have time to think about the centimeter. She'd just have to risk it._ Live dangerously or don't live at all, Weasley!_ Daphne had said to her, only a few days ago. Oh, how she'd miss Daphne when she was dead. She was always good for beauty tips... She took a deep breath and jumped.

She yelled out in happiness -- she made it! Now she was on fire. She made a running lunge off her roof to the one next to her; it was a little higher, but if she held on to the edge, she could pull herself up... Looking down before making the jump, she noticed that this time if she fell, she really _would_ die. Great.

Ginny glanced behind her; the man was now on the same roof as her, and seemed really, _really_ pissed off. Great... _again_. She ran toward the building and held on, attempting to propel herself up.

"_Stupefy_!" he yelled, this time missing her completely. _Okay, good idea now..._ She decided to move along with her hands to the front of the building. She could see it had a balcony; she could land on the balcony and then attempt to break into the building. She (slowly) made it to the front of the building and jumped off, falling on the balcony. _Okay, bloody - freaking - OW! _She helped herself up and looked down at where she landed: there was now a blood stain from her arm. She had almost -- keyword: almost -- forgotten about the slash. She was about to break into the building when another yell from the mystery man came.

"_CRUCIO!_"

Ginny cringed and fell to the ground. It was as if her spine was being twisted, as if her head was being ripped to shreds, and as if her eyeballs were being chewed. Everywhere on her body hurt, and she found herself too pained to move. But she knew that if she just made it to the door... just enough to kick it, or something...

She gave one, feeble kick, that only gave her enough power to roll to the end of the balcony. She cried out, the pain unbearable now, and she wanted it to end... she wanted it all to end...

The man let her off crucio long enough to yell _stupefy_. The spell, thankfully, missed her... but unlucky for her, hit the cement of the balcony, causing it to begin to break apart. Quickly regaining her senses, she tried to reach the door, but found herself falling away, with nowhere to go but down...

"**_STUPEFY!_**" a voice from below screamed, and the masked man fell down, slowly. She let out another scream as the balcony finally detached itself and began falling down at least seven flights.

"**_Levicorpus!_**" another voice from below yelled, and Ginny found herself dangling by her ankle in midair. The sensation was horrifying and she yelled out, crying. She was so confused, and her body still ached from the crucio that had lasted so long, so long... "**_Liberacorpus_**."

She fell down, screaming again (her throat was getting rather sore) and landed in Draco Malfoy's arms...

...where she quickly passed out.

---------------

_Author's note: Now how's _that_ for an update? Wow, I got so into this chapter that I started getting nervous, and I was typing so quickly my fingers were getting confused... My heart was pounding, and I couldn't think of anything but "Ginny's going to do this, and then this, and he's going to do this, and she's going to..." and so on. I really put a lot into this chapter, so I hope you liked it...And please review! I seem to have tons of hits (around 400) but only 20-something reviews! Come on, lurkers! Review, please! The more reviews I get, the better the chapters get._

_Oh, by the way... That Dragonfire thing? Yeah, that's gonna be important. Keep that in the 'obsessive-compulsive-fanfiction' section of your brain, please!_

_Oh, one more thing, haha. I wanted to add this right after the last sentence of this chapter, but it doesn't sound good there, so I'll just put it here: And to think Ginny wanted heavy-duty spywork! Just goes to show you get what you wish for, eh?_


	5. CHAPITRE CINQ

TITLE: LE VOLET

RATING: T

GENRE: ROMANCE/DRAMA

SUMMARY: AFTER THE WAR, A DEPRESSION HITS THE WIZARDING WORLD. HER FATHER LOSES HER JOB AND MONEY'S RUNNING THIN, AND GINNY'S ONLY CHOICE IS TO GET A JOB WORKING FOR THE ONE MAN WHO TORMENTED HER AT HOGWARTS. BUT BEFORE GINNY KNOWS IT, SHE'S DROWNING IN POSSIBLE DEATH EATER RELATIONS THAT MAY JUST CAUSE MORE DESTRUCTION THAN THE WAR DID...

COUPLES: HPxGW, GWxDM, HGxRW, DGxBZ, HAxHP (You may not know a bunch of those initials, but don't worry, they're ALL canon.)

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING BUT THE PLOT AND THE CHARACTERIZATIONS OF SOME CHARACTERS.

CHAPITRE CINQ

_C'est le malaise du moment/ L'épidémie qui s'étend/ La fête est finie on descend/ Les pensées qui glacent la raison/ Paupières baissées, visage gris/ Surgissent les fantômes de notre lit/ On ouvre le loquet de la grille/ Du taudis qu'on appelle maison/ Protect me from what I want/ Protect me from what I want/ Protect me from what I want/ Protect me, protect me._ - Protégé -moi, Placebo.

&-

"_Protégé-moi," he whispered, his mouth on her ear. She felt his hot breath and smiled, loving the feeling of him on her. His hands were lightly grazing every part of her body; her wrists, dancing up to her shoulders, her neck, her collarbone, her cheeks… This was the part she loved best – when he would slowly touch her, not aiming for anything; just touch her to be close to her, near to her, next to her._

"_What are you doing?" she asked slowly, smirking slightly._

_  
Draco smiled. "Why, counting your freckles, of course."_

_Ginny blushed. "Counting them, eh?"_

_He leaned down and kissed her bare shoulder. "Yes, and naming them as well."_

"_Really," she said quietly, slipping down underneath the black sheets more, leaning her body into him. She grinned as he let out a small sound of protest – she had separated herself from his mouth for a split second – and looked up at him. "Well? Carry on, then!"_

"_Oh, _wicked_ girl," he whispered, pushing himself down farther to kiss her mouth sweetly, nibbling on her lower lip before climbing on top of her and deepening the kiss._

_Yes, Ginny thought, _this_ was the part she loved best._

&-

Ginny woke up in a strange setting; a large, spacious bedroom with pristine white walls, beautiful wood floors, and a large window overlooking a view that she could only imagine was breathtaking – the curtains were drawn, so no light was coming through. She looked around for a clock, but found that there was none anywhere – at least she had her _wand_. She briefly wondered if she had been drugged and raped, but as she reached up to brush some hair away from her face, she noticed the slash in her arm and remembered all that had happened before.

She had landed in Draco's arms. And now she was awake in some strange room. It didn't take Ginny long to realize that she was, most likely, in Draco's bedroom. In his beautiful, comfortable, _giant_ bed, with black sheets.

_Black sheets_… What was with him and _black sheets_?

She suddenly wanted to run. She wanted to grab her things (wherever her things were – she finally noticed that she was wearing an emerald green pajama top and matching bottoms that were three sizes too big and, oh _Merlin_, probably belonged to _Draco_) and Apparate to the nearest _bar_, again.

But the moment she made to get up, her head swirled and her vision became dotty and all of a sudden she wanted to do nothing but sleep in his big beautiful bed, where he had probably shagged countless girls who weren't red-haired and didn't have freckles and didn't have bright green eyes. Countless girls who had no name, only a number; girls who had no meaning, no purpose – porcelain dolls used for their good looks. She had never wanted to be a porcelain doll more in her entire life.

Ginny willed herself not to cry, not in his _bed_. That was a whole level of pathetic that she refused to reach.

Letting her lower lip wibble and letting her eyes fade up (but making sure to blink before the tears fully filled her eyes) was perfectly acceptable, however.

&-

Draco didn't want to go inside.

He knew he should check on her, make sure she was breathing and not ripping apart his bed or anything. He knew he should tell her where she was, since she was probably confused, and he should ask if she was okay.

But he didn't _want to._

No, actually, he did _want_ to. He was really too frightened of seeing her, beautiful and clean and fragile, in his bed. He was frightened of the thoughts he'd get. He was frightened of what he'd think every time he looked at her, or his bed, or his _pajamas_… Oh, Merlin, why did he give her his best pajamas?

_Because you wanted to smell her on your clothes again_, the logical part of his brain replied, and he couldn't even deny it.

He went to open the beautiful double doors leading to his bedroom, but it opened before he got the chance. Ginny, eyes slightly puffy but still looking gorgeous, stood in the doorway, looking surprised. She kept her eyes firmly planted on the ground

"Oh… I'm sorry; I didn't know you were… Where am I, and… My clothes – are they…"

She could smell him from where she was standing, and oh, she wanted to kiss him. She wanted to slam him against the wall (if her head wasn't spinning) and snog his brains out. She wanted to feel his skin again… She let her eyes wander up and she finally saw what he was wearing: a clean, thin white tee-shirt with dark jeans. He looked _gorgeous_.

_Merlin, I must have hit my head really hard…,_ she thought to herself, as if that was a plausible excuse for why she thought Draco looked exceptionally handsome.

"Your clothes… They're in the living room…" Draco responded, looking very distracted.

Ginny wanted to kiss him. Her heart was pounding and she couldn't even remember why they were broken up, and she wanted to go back to sixth year, back to when it started and ended. She couldn't breathe.

He let out a low growl from the back of his throat and lightly pushed himself on her, covering her lips with his. She was taken by surprise and gasped slightly, her lips parting long enough for him to slip his tongue in her mouth and she closed her eyes. His hands were on her waist, pinning her to the closed door behind her, and her arms were snaked around his neck. She sighed, content, and let herself go.

She felt like she was floating far, far, away, and down on the ground below her, another version of her was kissing him. In her mind, she yelled, screaming _he broke your heart once! Don't let him do it again!_ But she didn't seem to hear.

Seconds later, Ginny realized what she was doing, and she broke apart from the kiss, breathing heavily. He lightly pressed his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

"Draco, what… What about that Camery woman?" She slowly opened her eyes, examining his face.

Draco raised an eyebrow, still recovering from the kiss. "What?" he asked. A moment later, he replied, "She's gone. Tomorrow she will come again…"

Ginny nodded, looking down. "And… what about Pansy?"

His eyes opened immediately as he stepped away, averting his eyes, and suddenly it all made sense. The bed Ginny had woken up in was probably the same bed he and Pansy slept in. They were probably married with children, all at Hogwart's at the moment. But soon they would come home for Christmas, and they would all yell "happy Christmas, daddy!" to Draco, and they would kiss their mother on the cheek and give each other expensive gifts. And when the children were sleeping, Draco and Pansy would slip into bed together, and he would murmur "happy Christmas, _minet_," in her ear and they would kiss each other and dive underneath the covers together.

"God, Draco," she whispered, trying to bite back the tears. "I can't believe… I can't be the other woman again! I can't, I can't, and I won't!"

Draco looked hurt for a minute before masking his face with anger. "Who asked you to be?"

Ginny shook her head and took out her wand, muttering "_Accio clothes!_" Moments later, a silver bag with 'D.M' engraved on it flew at her. She glanced inside it and, upon seeing it was her clothes, Apparated to her flat without another word.

&-

_The first time she shagged Draco was after a rather heated argument with Harry. She'd wandered around the school after hours, ducking any time she heard footsteps, and was completely and utterly lost._

_And then she stumbled upon the head boy's dorm. She wasn't sure why she wanted to knock on his door, considering they had gotten into a fight a few hours earlier because she wanted him to tell her he loved her, and he said he couldn't do that. But here she was, on his doorstep. _

_She lightly knocked. On the third knock, he opened up, looking surprised._

"_Draco," she whispered, tears still in her eyes from the argument._

_He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her sweetly, lightly pulling her in the room. Later, they would talk about how much they hated Harry, and how Ginny always _knew_ Draco was the better choice. And they would laugh, and then he would wrap his arms around her again and kiss the top of her head as they slowly drifted off to sleep._

_But for the moment, she led the path to his bed._

_And as he lightly climbed on top of her, he whispered "Protégé-moi," and years later she would find out that he was telling her to protect him._

_And years later, she would whisper the same thing to him as she said goodbye._

&-

Author's Note: EEK! I am so, so sorry that I haven't updated in like, _years._ I've been really busy with schoolwork and etc, and to be honest, I completely forgot about this story. But the other day I was just like, "I feel like writing!" and decided to update one of my stories. Hopefully this one was a good choice.

Please review!

_Terminology-_

_Protégé-moi: protect me._

_Minet: kitten._


End file.
